Entrepreneur Advice from Emma Tandoh: Don't let the fear stop you

June 30, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Emma Tandoh, founder and CEO of Outspoken Edge (Ghana) — **Emma Tandoh**, founder and CEO of Outspoken Edge (Ghana)

Don't let the fear stop you....

"Do it already! It's important to take the leap and make the mistakes early. Don't let the fear stop you; just jump and build your wings on the way down. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to be self-motivated and constantly create opportunities for yourself. In my career, I’ve had absolutely nothing handed out to me on a silver platter and there's no shortcut to the success you envision for your business."

- Emma Tandoh is the founder and CEO of Outspoken Edge in Ghana, a digital marketing and content development business that offers a tailor-made bouquet of e-marketing, social media and content marketing and web services for SMEs and women-led businesses in Ghana and across Africa. Emma is an ambitious, resourceful, multilingual writer, digital media and technology enthusiast. She studied Information Studies, Economics, and Geography at the University of Ghana, Legon, graduating in 2007 with a BA Honours in Geography and Resource Development.

Quote of the Day by Donna Rachelson

June 30, 2016 Melanie Hawken

“Our entrepreneurs are resilient. They are primarily working from home and funding themselves with small amounts of capital while facing the well-known challenges of finding customers and raising finance.”

- Donna Rachelson is an entrepreneur, branding and marketing specialist, author and well-known speaker. As a successful businesswoman and investor in businesses, Donna is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and women, uplifting them with her unique brand of inspiringly practical, results-driven guidance. Donna is the author of three books: Play to Win: What Women can learn from Men in Business; Branding & Marketing YOU and Branding & Marketing YOU Through Teams. She is founder of Branding & Marketing YOU and currently Chief Catalyst at Seed Academy – a training and incubation ecosystem for entrepreneurs.

Quote of the Day

June 29, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Margaret Hirsch, co-founder of Hirsch's Homestores — **Margaret Hirsch**, co-founder of Hirsch's Homestores

"Think big. It’s easier to think big than it is to think small."

- Margaret Hirsch is one half of a dynamic husband and wife duo that founded Hirsch's Homestores. Back in 1979, as a secretary, together with her husband Allan, then an appliance repair man, they unwittingly became entrepreneurs who went on to build an appliance, electronics and furnishing retail empire. Today, Hirsch's Homestores is the largest independently owned appliance and electronics business in Southern Africa, with seventeen branches and concept stores spread throughout South Africa.

Entrepreneur Smarts: Personal change....

June 28, 2016 Melanie Hawken

In my last article we spoke about S-curves, the underlying lifecycle of all innovations, and how important it is to manage transitions from one S-curve to another. Explained in terms of curves, it sounds so easy. But it isn’t. Every curve represents something - a project, a venture, a dream, a team of people - that we have loved, cared for, poured our life into. And when these things change, we have to change too - and that is not easy.

Lioness Lean In Breakfast event prize draw winners to spend a day at Babette’s Bakery learning to make artisan bread

June 27, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Babette van der Walt, founder of Babette’s Bread (South Africa) — **Babette van der Walt**, founder of Babette’s Bread (South Africa)

This month’s Lioness Lean In Breakfast event in Johannesburg on 23 June not only had a great panel of speakers, great networking and great women entrepreneurs connecting for business, but also a unique prize draw. One of the guest speakers at the breakfast, the inspirational Babette van der Walt, founder of artisan bread bakery, Babette’s Bread, invited two lucky ticket draw winners to join her forthcoming Introduction to Artisan Bread Workshop to be held on 1 July at her Maboneng-based bakery.

Babette Frances van der Walt - The startup story of a South African artisan bread baker turning passion into profit

June 27, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Many successful entrepreneurs talk about the power of turning a passion into a business. In the case of Babette van der Walt, founder of artisan bread-baking company Babette’s Bread, her passion for the art of bread-baking led her to making the ultimate career pivot in her life.

100 Lionesses: Mo Abudu listed on Business Insider's Top 100 Business Visionaries creating value for the world

June 26, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife TV has been listed on Business Insider‘s Top 100 business visionaries creating value for the world. She is the only African on the list with a ranking of 56 on a list of 100 people from all over the world. As the head of one of Africa’s most successful new media ventures, the Nigeria-based television network EbonyLife TV, endeavors to tell real African stories and change the conversation around the continent.

Starting a business with absolutely NO money

June 26, 2016 Melanie Hawken

What a scary thought – not only starting a business, but to start off with no capital - yikes! If you read any article related to entrepreneurs, from Silicon Valley to the African continent, the very first thing you read is that they’ve got funding. But is funding the be-all and end-all? What if you don’t have access to immediate funding, but you have an amazing business idea that will change the world? Well, the alternative is to bootstrap it, to become really innovative to start this amazing business idea of yours.

Essential Read: Nothing is Impossible - Valuable lessons learned from an award-winning entrepreneur by Anthea Thyssen-Ambursley

June 26, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Nothing is Impossible - Valuable lessons learned from an award-winning entrepreneur, is the story of one woman’s journey to building successful business ventures in a new era in South Africa. Author and entrepreneur, Anthea Thyssen-Ambursley cares deeply about her country and the people in it, and this comes across powerfully as she shares the ups and downs of embarking on any entrepreneurial venture for the first time in Africa.

Johannesburg’s women entrepreneurs ‘Lean In’ for greater business success as the city ranks 23rd best in the world for high growth women entrepreneurs

June 26, 2016 Melanie Hawken

L-R: Nobesuthu Ndlovu, Melanie Hawken, Bushera Bashir, Jayshree Naidoo — L-R: Nobesuthu Ndlovu, Melanie Hawken, Bushera Bashir, Jayshree Naidoo

On 23rd June, the day that the Dell City Index ranked Johannesburg as the 23rd best city in the world for high growth women entrepreneurs, the latest in the highly successful series of Lioness Lean In breakfast events took place in the city’s Rosebank district. Around 60 leading women entrepreneurs and startups gathered at the Standard Bank Business Incubator in Rosebank to share their inspirational stories, to network, and to connect for business.

Emma Tandoh - The startup story of a Ghanaian entrepreneur providing tailor-made online solutions to help SMEs and women-led businesses to develop powerful brands

June 26, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Emma Tandoh, founder of Outspoken Edge (Ghana) — **Emma Tandoh**, founder of Outspoken Edge (Ghana)

A passion to see women-led business in Africa succeed as global brands led entrepreneur Emma Tandoh to create her company, Outspoken Edge LLC, a specialist in the field of digital marketing and content development in Ghana. Her approach is to get people talking about the brands she helps to build, which in turn contributes to their success.

Sarinah Matema-Morgans - The startup story of a South African entrepreneur harnessing Africa’s exotic ingredients to create a luxury beauty and body care brand

June 26, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Sarinah Matema-Morgans, founder of Serenity Luxury Body Care (South Africa) — **Sarinah Matema-Morgans**, founder of Serenity Luxury Body Care (South Africa)

Having an appreciation of the need to create high quality skincare products that are tailored to meet the specific needs of African skin, inspired entrepreneur Sarinah Matema-Morgans to create her own brand to meet those needs. Serenity Luxury Body Care is the result of her extensive experience in the beauty and cosmetics industry and her passion to create a proudly African skincare brand.

Quote of the Day by Shima Barakat

June 24, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Dr Shima Barakat, Research and Teaching Fellow in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the Cambridge Judge Business School

"You need a women-only forum because it allows them to speak about things they will never speak about in a mixed setting."

- Dr Shima Barakat is a Research and Teaching Fellow in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School. Shima started her career as a construction engineer, which led to an interest in how organisations understand and act in relation to the natural environment and global issues, and ultimately to inspiring and supporting entrepreneurialism and business ‘not as usual’. More.

Entrepreneur Advice from Rana Alaa: Don't hesitate in following your passions

June 24, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Rana Alaa, co-founder and technical director of SolarizEgypt — Rana Alaa, co-founder and technical director of SolarizEgypt

Don't hesitate in following your passions....

“My advice for female entrepreneurs is not to hesitate in following your passions and diving into the field. Being a female in a male dominated discipline is not as hard as it sounds, you gain a lot of respect and knowledge by being on the ground. You must also always have perseverance and flexibility in finding creative solutions to obstacles.”

- Rana Alaa is the co-founder and technical director of SolarizEgypt. This Egyptian entrepreneur and environmental engineer from Cairo had stints at both Intel and Shell before she co-founded her solar energy start-up which has developed solar innovative technologies with financial mechanisms to provide consumers with uninterrupted power at an affordable cost. Rana holds a BSc in Electronic Engineering and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the American University in Cairo. She has grown the SolarizEgypt team to six professionals who grew the company at an average rate of 300% in the last two years. Her passion is to create a greener, cleaner Egypt.

Entrepreneur Advice from Khanyi Dhlomo: You can't be everywhere at once

June 22, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Khanyi Dhlomo, founder and Managing Director of Ndalo Media (South Africa) — Khanyi Dhlomo, founder and Managing Director of Ndalo Media (South Africa)

When balancing career and family you need to get comfortable with the fact that you can't be everywhere at once....

"We have to be comfortable with the idea of not being able to be everywhere we are required. Be comfortable that wherever you are the most important thing is that you are giving that particular situation the best of you and the best of your time,"

- Khanyi Dhlomo is the founder and Managing Director of Ndalo Media, which she founded in 2007. She is also the founder of DestinyConnect and the founding editor of Destiny Magazine. Before starting her own media company, Khanyi was editor of True Love magazine for eight years. In 2013, Khanyi ventured in retail and launched Luminance, a high-end fashion and lifestyle department store. Khanyi was named most influential woman in South African Media by The Media Magazine in 2003 and made the 2011 Forbes list of 20 Young Power Women in Africa.

Durban’s inspirational women entrepreneurs ‘lean in’ for greater business success

June 14, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Speakers L-R: Indrani Govender, Victoria Verbaan, Paula Goosen, Melanie Hawken, Jayshree Naidoo — Speakers L-R: Indrani Govender, Victoria Verbaan, Paula Goosen, Melanie Hawken, Jayshree Naidoo

The latest exciting leg of the Lioness Lean In Breakfast event tour this month headed to the warm shores of Durban, South Africa on 8 June, and what a great event it was. Some of the most inspirational women entrepreneurs from the city took to the stage at host venue Mancosa to share their highly personal entrepreneurial journeys, experiences and startup stories.

Quote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

June 13, 2016 Melanie Hawken

"For people to be innovative... they don't have to really travel a long way or copy somebody's business idea. It's right there."

- Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.

How to deal with setbacks in your startup business

June 10, 2016 Melanie Hawken

For a startup venture, setbacks may be the name of the game, especially in the beginning phases. You’re still learning the ropes, understanding your market, finding the right team and wrapping your mind around building an empire. As a startup, in order to focus and enjoy positive results and to move forward, it’s all about how you, as the Founder of your business, need to manage these setbacks. Do you take them in your stride? Or are you riddled with fear and anguish for days because things didn’t work out?

Quote of the Day by Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola

June 10, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Radiant Health Magazine (Nigeria) — Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Radiant Health Magazine (Nigeria)

"Definitely more African women need to tap into technology. I’m often amazed at what I’ve created with just a laptop and internet connection."

- Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola is the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Radiant Health Magazine in Nigeria. She's a public health advocate with a Doctorate in Pharmacy and Master's in Public Health Policy and Management from Columbia University. Radiant Health is Nigeria’s first women’s health magazine offering easy-to-follow tips and advice on health and wellness, fitness, healthy eating, beauty and style and expert advice, all wrapped up in one enticing title.

100 LIONESSES: Ethel Cofie participates in the Citi Business Festival in Ghana focused on “Technology Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century”

June 10, 2016 Melanie Hawken

The first outdoor event of the Citi Business Festival, The Footprint, takes place at the Ghana Telecom University College. A key participant, Ethel Cofie, will be contributing to the event theme: “Technology Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century”.